By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Just days before school begins, Hays USD 489 staff is keeping a close eye on enrollment numbers as administrators “want to see enrollment numbers go up for funding purposes,” said Director of Curriculum Shanna Dinkel.

Dinkel told USD 489 Board of Education members at Monday’s work session it appears numbers at Hays Middle School and Hays High School might be higher than last year.

Dinkel said Hays Middle School is reporting 617 students enrolled, compared to 583 students reported last October.

Hays High School is reporting 785 students enrolled, compared to 762 last October.

As for the elementary schools, Dinkel said there are 1, 436 elementary students enrolled.

Classroom sizes remain an issue. As of Monday, Lincoln is reporting a 25-student third-grade class, while O’Loughlin has 27- and 25-student fourth-grade classes.

Dinkel said numbers are constantly changing and a definite enrollment number is “still too soon to tell.”

Administration has been watching the large classrooms at O’Loughlin and Lincoln, which are taking the brunt of the school board’s decision not to renew the contracts of 16 teachers earlier this spring. Five of the 16 were elementary school instructors.

The cuts were made in an effort to close the gap on a $1.5 million budget shortfall coming into the 2014-15 year.